Athletes, celebs take on viral challenge to fight ALS

Updated 3:48 pm, Wednesday, August 13, 2014

Celebrities, big and small, have taken to social media to create the latest viral trend. It's called the ice bucket challenge and it's more than a buzzy internet fad.

The rules are simple: someone challenges one or more people to donate money, usually $100, to fund ALS research. If the people challenged don't hold up their end of the deal, they record themselves getting splashed over the head with a bucket of ice water.

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, more commonly known as Lou Gehrig's disease, is a neurodegenerative disease which attacks brain and spinal cord nerve cells. The muscles in those with the disease weaken and deteriorate, eventually causing paralysis in later stages. The disease is incurable. Over the past few weeks, donations to ALS organizations have skyrocketed thanks to the videos.

Click through to see more people taking on the ice bucket challenge.

Photo: YouTube

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Famous people take on the ice bucket challenge

Famous people take on the ice bucket challenge

Photo: YouTube

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Billionaire Bill Gates built a contraption to do the ice bucket challenge.

State Sen. John McKinney dumps a bucket of ice on the head of Tom Foley following a press conference in Trumbull, Conn. Foley defeated McKinney in the Republican Primary for Governor and accepted McKinney's invitation to take the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge.

State Sen. John McKinney dumps a bucket of ice on the head of Tom Foley following a press conference in Trumbull, Conn. Foley defeated McKinney in the Republican Primary for Governor and accepted McKinney's ... more